RAS question
The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli (Delhi) is attributed to which Gupta ruler?
Correct answer: (A) Chandragupta II.
The Iron Pillar at Mehrauli in Delhi is attributed to the Gupta ruler Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya.
Explanation
The attribution rests on the pillar's Sanskrit inscription, which praises a king named Chandra. Encyclopaedia Britannica identifies Chandragupta II as almost certainly this King Chandra, matching the standard attribution of the Mehrauli Iron Pillar to Chandragupta II, or Vikramaditya. This is why the question is not asking only for a famous Gupta ruler in general, but for the ruler linked through the inscription itself. The pillar's unusual rust-resistant composition and its survival for more than 1600 years are why it is often remembered both as an epigraphic source for Gupta history and as a remarkable ancient iron object.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Skandagupta is associated here with repelling the Huna invasions, not with the King Chandra named in the Mehrauli iron pillar inscription.
- (C) Kumaragupta is associated here with Nalanda, while the pillar's inscription points to Chandra, identified with Chandragupta II.
- (D) Samudragupta was Chandragupta II's father, but the inscription refers to Chandra, whom Britannica identifies as almost certainly Chandragupta II.
Concept
This tests Gupta-period epigraphy and the use of inscriptions to identify rulers. It recurs in RAS because ancient history questions often link monuments, inscriptions and dynastic chronology rather than asking dates in isolation.